The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for outlining the manipulation environment of a multiarticular duty machine, such as a hoist and transmitter, an excavator, a forest harvester or a rock drill, by means of a laser pointer in order to determine the trajectories automatically and to control the machine. The invention can also be applied for teaching an industrial robot its working cycle.
At present a multiarticular duty machine, for instance a hydraulic jack, an excavator or a drilling arm assembly are controlled articulation by articulation so that the user, while controlling the various articulations, simultaneously also controls the movements of the arm head. While the total number of controlled articulations can rise up to seven, the arm control may become troublesome. The most developed manipulator arrangements have utilized a computer system for coordinating the movements so that the user may directly control the arm head by the control stick, and the computer calculates the control of each separate articulation and guides the arm control so that the arm head moves along a straight path to the direction ordered by the user. The user can also program the automatic cycles of the computer by means of the control stick and the keyboard. The said control method is generally known in the prior art, but the applications for controlling arm machines have been limited.